Old Pal Recipe

A cousin to the Boulevardier, balancing whiskey and Campari with dry vermouth.

By
Paul Clarke
Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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Updated February 11, 2019
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Nick Caruana

In the depths of winter, sometimes the best thing to do is fight back at the weather on its own terms—with something equally chilly and bold.

Enter the Old Pal. Powered by a base of bourbon or rye whiskey, the drink has a firm foundation of flavor sufficient to support the other powerfully flavored ingredient, Campari, which gives the drink a brisk bitterness that's still rich and complex.

With dry vermouth playing the moderator's role to make the two alpha-dog ingredients play well together, the combination is strong and bracing—pretty much exactly what you need as the snow starts to fall.

And if you're thinking this drink sounds familiar, you're probably right. Swap the dry vermouth for sweet and you've got the Boulevardier. Hmm, I think I have a suggestion for the next round.

Recipe Details

Old Pal Recipe

Active 2 mins
Total 2 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces bourbon or  rye whiskey

  • 3/4 ounce dry vermouth

  • 3/4 ounce Campari

  • Garnish: lemon twist

Directions

  1. Fill a mixing glass 2/3 full with ice. Add whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari. Stir until well chilled, about 20 seconds, and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink and use as garnish.

Special equipment

Mixing glass, cocktail strainer

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
193Calories
0gFat
10gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories193
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 3mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 10g3%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 8mg39%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 31mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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